October 27, 2002
The Congregational Way of Faith with Rev. Dr. Arthur Rouner
Thanksgiving Benevolence Offering
Jennifer Wareham: Doing What She Should
Thanksgiving at First Congregational Church
November 1, 2, and 3 will be a special weekend to celebrate our Congregational Heritage with the Reverend Dr. Arthur Rouner, Jr. Dr. Rouner is the son of a Congregational minister and was himself ordained to the ministry in 1954. He has served churches in Williamsburg and Newton, Massachusetts, and was the founding pastor of the Colonial Church of Edina, Minnesota, from which he retired in 1994. Since his retirement, Dr. Rouner has led The Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation, which conducts healing retreats in Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya with four warring tribes of the Kenya/Uganda border, and with Church leaders of the American Indian Reservations. In his work, Dr. Rouner has focused on the themes of reconciliation, Congregational church history, practical ecumenism, the life of prayer and healing, the issues of love and marriage, human sexuality, the doctrine and work of the Holy Spirit, the faith foundation of the American nation, and the whole work of pastoral ministry. In his writing, preaching and teaching Dr. Rouner brings a keen intellect, a deep spirituality, and a sparkling sense of humor.
Our exploration of 'The Congregational Way of Faith' will begin with a brief evening prayer service on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. in which we will celebrate the faith of the 'saints.' Following the service we will have a time of refreshment and then Dr. Rouner will address, "A Pilgrim Faith for Today." On Saturday morning, Dr. Rouner will be joined by his wife Molly to talk about their work of reconciliation at "Breakfast with the Girls" at 9 :00 a.m. Our exploration of the 'The Congregational Way of Faith' will continue with a series of seminars beginning at 1 p.m. Three seminars will be offered with a break time and dinner, concluding with a service of evening prayer at 7:30 p.m. The topics for the seminars are: The power of the Spirit; Leadership: Daring to Risk; and The Cross for 21st Century Congregationalists. Cost for the day, which includes dinner and afternoon refreshments, will be $15.
Sunday morning Dr. Rouner will be the featured preacher at the 8:45 and 11 AM services. His sermon title is: The Congregational Way of Reconciliation. Dr. Rouner will be available for coffee and questions during the 'First Things at First' adult education session in the Social Hall at 10 a.m. Our special weekend with Dr. and Mrs. Rouner will conclude with a special service of Healing and Reconciliation at 4:30 p.m. The theme for the service will be: Ministries our churches need Forgiveness and Healing.
This weekend provides a wonderful opportunity for us to grow in our spiritual life and to deepen our community commitment here at First Congregational Church. Come and be a part of the Congregational Way of Faith as we celebrate our Heritage! *
The Board of Benevolence Thanksgiving offering will be directed to the
work of food pantries in Beloit and Waukesha. Beloit has been particularly
hard-hit by the recent economic downturn and the food pantry there is in
desperate need of help to care for the needy in that community. With five
Congregational Churches in and around Beloit there is a strong tie for us
to that area, and we hope that First Church will be able to offer some significant
help. Closer to home, the food pantry in Waukesha County has also been experiencing
an increase in the numbers of folks seeking food aid. We will take the collection
on Thanksgiving Day, but will certainly accept offerings from those
who would like to give to these worthy causes and can't be with us on that day.
We will also be looking to our Sunday School and Youth to assist us with the drive by collecting food items for the Wauwatosa Food Pantry. Lists of most-needed items will be sent out to students' homes and will also be published in the Congregationalist. We will collect food items for Tosa Pantry all during the month of November.
God has been good to so many of us, and now we are called upon to offer help. We covenant "to reach out with compassion to those in need." Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to do this! *
When people ask me which church I serve, I tell them First Congregational Church. Inevitably, the 'look' comes over their faces. "Congregational? What kind of church is that?" Grateful that they have at least not said, "Congressional" as I once heard our church described on a radio broadcast I then say, "Oh I'm sure you know us. We're the descendants of the Pilgrims and the Puritans. Thanksgiving?" Then the smile of relief comes over the face and they realize that they're not dealing with some wild cult.
Those exchanges tell me a couple of things. First, they remind me that we need to be a bit better about self-promotion as a faith community. First Church has been a part of Wauwatosa since 1842 and on the same spot since 1853. One would think that a hundred and sixty-year history ought to be worth talking about. Second, they tell me that our celebrations of heritage have to be more than exercises in nostalgia. For us to make the kind of difference in our world we should be and need to be making, there must be solid ground for us to build upon. The rich tradition we share provides that ground, if we work to understand it and are willing to enter into dialogue with it.
We are a 'pilgrim people.' When I say that, I mean that we are more than merely custodians of the myth of the Pilgrims and the Plimouth Colony. We're also more than a museum of a way or church government (polity) and more than a quaint 'rump' group that wouldn't go along with the crowd. What we have is far more than those things, though they are a part of who we are and what we're about. We're a pilgrim people because we understand that we're on a journey together. We have entered into covenant to be "followers of Jesus Christ" and how we go about living each day should reflect our journey with Jesus.
Pastor Robinson told the Pilgrims that they had an arduous task before them as they set off for the New World. As a consequence, they should choose leaders who "do entirely love and will promote the common good." They took his words seriously and sought to shape a church life and a civil government that reflected the good of all the people. We live in a time when the common good is not often considered. Self-interest, it seems, rules the day in every arena from business to government to religion. Perhaps the best way for us to celebrate our heritage is to once again stress the common good?
We can begin to strive for the common good within our community of faith on Church Street in our worship and our service inside and outside the meetinghouse. We can also carry it to our homes, our schools, our places of business, and our social lives. We may find people looking quizzically at us when we are more concerned for others' needs than our own, but that is not a bad thing. While we Congregationalists have never been ones to use our churches as tools for politics or social justice, we have been people who have been actively involved in those arenas. American history is loaded with presidents and leaders of various movements, including the one for the abolition of slavery, who were Congregationalists. Our churches don't dabble in politics, but our exercise of faith, our pilgrim walk, has, and does, inspire people to act in response to the call of God on their lives.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that 'Heritage Month' should be more than Pilgrim costumes and turkey cutouts. This month is a reminder that we're still a Pilgrim people and we're on the journey together. We have roots, we have ground on which to build for the common good and living that will be the best celebration of our Heritage. If we act like the Pilgrim people we are, perhaps folks will respond differently when we tell them that we're Congregationalists. There was a time when people knew who we were because of the good we did; I look forward to that day coming again, very soon. Have a blessed Heritage Month!
Yours in the Congregational Way,
Steve
Rev. Steven A. Peay, Ph.D.
Senior Minister
Where were you during the 1986-87 school year? Perhaps Jennifer Wareham is the only member of our congregation who was sitting in a classroom in St. Louis, MO being taught by Fr. Bede who is now our very own Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Steve Peay. A student at Cor Jesu Academy, where the then Fr. Bede was a religion teacher, Jennifer remembers him as a wonderful "teacher who always answered all of our questions no matter how goofy. He was then, just like now, a deeply intellectual thinker...and here he was teaching all the sophomore girls! He came back the next year to bless our junior rings, and I took his name, Bede, as my religious name." The impact that the young priest had on Jennifer was not to stop there. Years later, while dating her husband, she attended First Congregational Church and you can imagine her surprise (and Dr. Peay's) when they were reunited! She has never regretted joining the Church, and speaks fondly of the impact that that religion teacher, now her senior Pastor, has had on her life.
She was uneasy about being interviewed for this publication, and began our conversation by saying with a smile in her voice, "I don't think I need to be patted on the back for something that I should be doing." With the sweet voices of her twin daughters, Anneliese and Lillian, as a backdrop, our conversation was punctuated by Jennifer's zeal for doing for others. Minimizing her involvement as coordinator of the Mobile Meals program, which is run by the Congregational Home and supported by volunteers from our Church, she spoke of the joy experienced by the drivers who deliver meals to shut-ins in the Wauwatosa and Brookfield area. "Many times," she said, "our drivers are the only folks these people see on a daily basis. It is hard not to form relationships as the shut-ins begin to recognize the person delivering the meals."
Jennifer explained that the majority of the recipients of the Mobile Meals are the elderly who have trouble cooking for themselves, and are unable to get to the grocery store. A smaller number, are people who are recovering from surgery or a serious illness. Frequently these people are only on the list to receive meals for two or three weeks "When I drive a route," she said, "I leave Congregational Home around 11:45 and I am usually back at the home by 1:00." Working from her home on her computer, she has organized the schedule on spreadsheets, and has her coordinator's job down to "a couple of hours a month on the computer and 30 minutes a week on the phone."
With a new baby (only one this time) due in January, Jennifer will be leaving her position as Mobile Meals Coordinator, but is certainly willing to work with the next person who feels that this service is something they "should be doing." Her involvement with the church will most certainly continue as she serves on the Board of Fellowship. Jennifer's husband David Wareham is an active deacon, and his parents have been members of FCC for many years.
The Wareham's lives center around their family some close by, and others many miles away. The girls are active and curious, and they enjoy zoo outings and outside activities. Jennifer Wareham is warm, nurturing, and believes that we should be stewards of the gifts with which we have been blessed. Her involvement with the Mobile Meals program is indicative not only of her faith, but also of her ministry. *
As of 10/17 the total of the 108 pledges returned is $189,094. These cards have an increase of 12.3% over the value of the same cards last year. The average pledge on these cards is $1,751. This is a good start to the canvas but we need to have all cards returned as soon as possible. The Budget and Finance Committee must begin the process of allotting requests to the various boards and committees, including the Board of Benevolence budget for 2003. We need responses from all of our members and friends in order to do that. Please return your card. Thank you for responding promptly to the support of the church, our activities and benevolent projects. *
On Sunday November 24 First Congregational Church will celebrate Christ the King/Thanksgiving Sunday by worshipping in the manner of the 19th century. We'll sing hymns from the period and follow an order of worship used by Congregational Churches in the mid-1800s. By this time Congregational worship had evolved a bit and the use of both organs and choirs had become quite common. (Fear not, the sermon will not be as long as it would have been in that period!)
So, join us for worship on the 24th and "raise a song of harvest home."
Additionally, we will hold our traditional Thanksgiving worship service at 9:00 on November 28.
Our next all-church dinner will be held on November 6th. The menu will feature peanut soup, turkey (a bird native to North America and Benjamin Franklin's candidate to be the symbol of the United States) and some recipes based on Pilgrim fare. It is hoped, in years to come, that we can have this dinner reflect the "Dinner with the Pilgrims" featured at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.
The Ray Neumann Big Band will play from 5:306:15, prior to dinner. Following the meal, the program for the evening will be "Pilgrims on Church Street" presented by Rev. Steven A. Peay, Ph.D. Using slides, stories and songs, the program will trace a bit of the history of the Pilgrims and then look to the history of our own First Congregational Church. Childcare will be provided.
Be sure to get your name on the sign-up list. This is a delightful dinner and an opportunity to "gather together" to give thanks for the Lord's bounty! Prepaid reservations must be made by Sunday, November 2, at noon. Cost is $5/adult; $2/child under 12. There will be a late sign-up fee of $2/person and we cannot guarantee availability after Sunday. *
THANKSGIVING
Nov. 28
Worship Service 9:00
CHRISTMAS
Dec. 4
All-Church English Dinner 6:00
Dec. 7
Friendly Beast Breakfast 9:00
Dec. 8
Worship w/ Pageant 8:45 & 11:00
Christmas Workshop 3:00
Supper 5:00
Dec. 15
Christmas Concert 4:00
Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Services
Family Service 4:00
Communion Worship Service 7:00
Candlelight Service 11:00
"How to be a tourist in your own home town" was the fun and informative program for October's Breakfast with the Girls. Laura was our representative from the Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau. She not only informed us about the attractions of our city, but entertained us with trivia questions and had prizes too! (What a treat-we almost never get prizes!) With the wonderful goodies brought by our bakers, it was another fun morning spent together.
On Saturday, November 2 we will be pleased and honored to have as our guest speakers Dr. Arthur Rouner and his wife Molly who will share with us their experience in their Ministry of Reconciliation in Africa. This is a difficult and troubled part of the world as we all know, and their insights will be informative and challenging, I'm sure.
Please join with us and bring a friend. Also, let us know if you can
help with baking. Don't forget to sign up at the office. See you then---
Char Schweitzer
GIVE US 4 DAY NOVEMBER 2ND
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Interfaith Neighborhood Outreach Program needs volunteers to help older adults prepare their homes for winter. Volunteers are needed to help rake leaves, clean windows, clean gardens, put up storm windows, etc. Last year more than 500 volunteers helped older adults get their homes ready for winter. The Give Us 4 Day is November 2nd from 9am1pm. If you are interested in volunteering on November 2nd, please call The Volunteer Center at 273-7887.
WREATH SALE BEGINS
The members of Boy Scout Troop 47 will be selling wreaths before and after services on October 27th and November 3rd. The profits from the wreath sale help the troop pay for advancement badges, scouting equipment, camp-outs and other troop activities. Wreaths will be available to be picked up on Sunday, November 24th after the service. Order forms will be available at the office and on a table in the Atrium. Thank you for supporting our Boy Scout Troop.
COMPUTER LEARNING LAB
If you would like to donate an old, outdated computer to help start a computer learning lab and a student generated Sunday School newspaper, please contact Carla or Carrie at 258-7375.
CPR CLASSES are being offered to all church members by the Board of Christian Ed on Saturday, November 2, 8:00 a.m.12:00 p.m. The cost is $15.00 which includes lunch. The fee will be waived for Sunday School teachers. Sign up in the church office by Oct. 28 or call 258-7375.
The increasing popularity of the all church dinners sponsored by the Board of Fellowship has made planning a challenge. If you enjoy attending these dinners, the first Wednesday of the month to be with friends and families, we have an incentive for you. If you sign up by Sunday noon preceding the dinner, your dinner will be only $5.00 and children $2.00. Any time after noon Sunday, the cost will be $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. There is also the possibility that if you have not reserved or signed up in advance, we will not have enough food prepared for you. Preparation often takes several days to feed the 100 plus people in attendance. Most of the food is perishable and the quantity ordered is based on the advance reservations. Please show your appreciation for those who volunteer to provide the monthly dinners by signing up at the office in advance, and benefit from the incentive that is offered just for YOU!
Charlotte Schowalter was the big winner of the quilt raffle which was part of the last Benevolence fund drive. Tosa Quilters generously donated the quilt to the church to raise funds for benevolences. The quilt raffle brought in $2137. which was donated to Heartlove Place and CFTS. The total for Rally Sunday was $8002.75.
The Board of Deacons and the Congregational Care Board are gathering names of family loved ones who have passed away this year. They will be honored on All Saints Sunday, November 3, with a Roll of Remembrance. wA rose will be presented in commemoration of the precious memories of that person's life. Family members are welcome to take the rose home. If you have someone whom you wish to have recognized during the service, please contact the church office at 414-258-7375. *
On Wednesday, October 9, children from First Congregational Church put on a variety show for seniors at Congregational Home. Residents were entertained with piano and violin playing, singing, joke telling and poetry reading. Everyone had a great time and the performers were treated to cookies and juice afterward. Thanks to all the performers who made this such a special night.
On Sunday, September 19, the third graders and the Covenant Class students received their Bibles. The service was well attended and it was great to see so many students so excited to receive their new Bibles.
A total of 25 third grade NIV Kid's Study Bibles and 14 Life Application Study Bibles were given to the Covenant class. We know they'll be put to good use. If you'd like to purchase one of these as a gift please see Carla, Carrie or Chris.
Please Support These Youth Fundraisers
November 17 Jr PF Bake Sale
December 8 Gourmet Coffee Sale
2003 Events
March 9 Pre-Auction
March 15 Italian Dinner/Auction
Nursery Help Needed
We're looking for people 1898 to help out in the nursery on an occasional basis. This position is paid. For more information, call Carla or Carrie at 258-7375, ext. 230.
New Member Classes
will be held on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 10 am in the Parlor and on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:00 in the Parlor. New members will be received on November 10.
St. Vincent Meal Program -
Our church participates in this fine benevolent organization the first Friday of each month. We next serve on Friday, November 1. Please call Barb or Ruth Dunham, 774-7147 to volunteer in meal preparation at 8:15 a.m. or call Pam Parker, 475-0044, to serve. Plan to meet at the church at 4:15 to go to the meal site at 910 West Madison Street to serve meals, or meet us there.
Upcoming Sermon/Worship Themes
Nov 3 Faith Art Rouner
Nov 10 Freedom Steve Peay
Nov 17 Fellowship Chris Rygh
Nov 24 Future Steve Peay
Christmas Workshop
Mark your calendars for December 8 when the annual Christmas workshop; dinner; and "Wrappings," a modern re-telling of the Christmas story, by Larry Enscoe will be held. Come to one part or all three. If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Carla at 258-7375. Look for more details soon.
The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue of the Columns is
www.FirstChurchTosa.org
Editor, Beth Linscott
Communications Committee
Mary York - Chairperson, Nancy Fisher,
Barb Dunham, Rod Schmidt, Bill Edens,
Arlette Lindbergh, Bill Edens
*
Rev. Steven Peay, Ph. D., Minister
Rev. Chris Rygh, Associate Minister
Rev. Charles Goldsmith, Ph.D.
Congregational Home Chaplain
Rani Gusho, Administrator
Lee Jacobi, Director of Music
Betty Dethmers, Organist
Sally Boyle, Secretary
Anne Callen, Office Manager
Charles Nelson, Administrator, Congregational Home, Inc.
Rev. Dr. Norman S. Ream, Minister Emeritus
*
Congregational Columns (USPS 010-493) is published monthly by The First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa, 1511 Church St., Wauwatosa, WI 53213-2593, 414/258-7375. Periodical Postage Paid at Milwaukee, WI 53203-9998. Postmaster: Send address changes to Congregational Columns, 1511 Church St., Wauwatosa, WI 53213-2593.
Vol. 11, Issue 10
